After the Resurrection

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shalom-dodi
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After the Resurrection

Post by shalom-dodi » Tue Apr 03, 2018 1:57 am

I thought it would be interesting to consider who Jesus appeared to and where he went after He rose from the dead. Also to see how that might make us feel. Have you ever wondered who He appeard to and why?

We are using a study by a man named Don Stwart at BlueLetterBible.org as our jumping off point.


Author:
The main reason the disciples believed in the resurrection of Jesus is that they saw Him alive after He was dead. Jesus presented Himself alive on a number of different occasions to His followers.
Thus we see them testifying, time and time again, to the fact they were eyewitnesses of His resurrection. This firsthand evidence of the disciples is a powerful argument for the resurrection of Christ. The disciples knew that He had risen because they saw Him with their own eyes.

Dodi Note: Have you thought about that before? The reason people came to faith was eyewitness accounts by those to whom Jesus appeared after he arose from the grave.
Has anyone ever told you about their first hand experiences with God? Maybe a healing? Maybe provision? Maybe peace in an extremely difficult time? Did that build your faith? Make you want to know more?

Anyone thinking of a time Jesus was very real to you that you might want to share with us?

One time, during the early stages of my husband’s heart issues, when he was having open heart surgery, I went down to grab breakfast at the hospital. I was sitting there all alone and upset and said, “Jesus i wish you would show me where you are right now. Are you here?” Then clear as a bell, this thought came, “ Today, you need your Abba with you.” And I did and awareness of His comforting presence was so real.

Author:
Jesus' Testimony About His Resurrection First, we have Jesus' own personal testimony is that He was raised from the dead.
Dodi Note: These are things Jesus himself said or did.

I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades (Revelation 1:18).
Dodi Note: In Reveltion long after the crucifixion, Jesus refers to himself as “The Living One”. He reminds us that yes, he WAS dead and now is ALIVE forever. Not only that He has charge of the keys of death and Hell. Isn’t that comforting to remember? And isn’t it great to “hear” it in Jesus own words?

Author: Luke records Jesus' saying.
Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have (Luke 24:39).

Dodi Note: Again….look at the intricate details. They were scared to death. Jesus comes and says “Peace”. I imagine if someone I KNEW was dead appeared to me I would freak out too.

Let’s read it from Luke 24: 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

The author next goes into some times Jesus appeared.

Author:The Various Appearances Of Jesus
Many different people saw Jesus after the resurrection. The appearances were as follows.
Mary Magdalene
The first appearance of Jesus was to Mary Magdalene.
Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?' She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.' Jesus said to her, 'Mary!' She turned and said to him, 'Rabboni!' (which is to say, Teacher) (John 20:14-16).
This was an unexpected encounter.

Dodi Note: Can you imagine the JOY her heart felt when she realized Jesus was back alive? All it took was Jesus saying her name.
Did you know that Jesus knows your name? I believe he calls to each of us and invites us to turn to him during every time or sorrow or trial. How precious to see Him coming to this Mary first and so gently with such comfort for her.

Mary The Mother Of James, Salome, And Joanna
Jesus also appeared to these three women. This happened after the appearance to Mary Magdalene. After an angel told them Jesus had risen, they were on their way to tell Jesus' disciples when they met the risen Christ
And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him (Matthew 28:9).
Dodi Note: They were not expecting to see him. They were simply going to report that the other Mary had seen him. And what was their response? WORSHIP. I imagine ours is the same.

Again, we have another unexpected appearance. As was true with Mary Magdalene, these women touched the body of Jesus.
Dodi Note: He is NOT a ghost, His body was touchable. Real. Present. We can’t touch him in the same way, but when we are touched by him, there is no doubt it was God.

Peter
Peter is the first person mentioned in Paul's list of witnesses, and is the first of the apostles to see the risen Christ. This was a private appearance to reassure him, since he had just denied his Lord. The gospels are completely silent as to the details of this meeting. Luke merely wrote:
The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon! (Luke 24:34).

Two Disciples On The Emmaus Road
Later on Easter Sunday, Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were conversing with each other about all these things which had taken place. And it came about that while they were conversing and discussing, Jesus himself approached, and began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing him (Luke 24:13-16).

As was true with the women, these two disciples were not expecting Jesus to rise. In fact, they were leaving Jerusalem because they had lost hope in Him.
Dodi Note: Have you ever given up all hope and maybe even fallen into despair, then suddenly something so wonderful happened? It was just like that. Jesus offers each of us hope during our easy times and during the darkest days/times. Remember we talked about hope a few weeks ago?

The Disciples - Thomas Absent
This is the last of the five appearances of Jesus on Easter Sunday. It took place in the evening, probably in the upper room in which Jesus had instituted the Lord's Supper. It is recorded in both Luke's and John's gospel, giving us two independent accounts as to what happened. John wrote:
When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." And when he had said this, he showed them both his hands and his side. The disciples therefore rejoiced when they saw the Lord. . . But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came (John 20:19,20,24).
Dodi Note: How sad for Thomas, but then again since nothing God does is ever random, it was all part of the plan and part of the plan to be written for us to help us too.

All Of The Disciples
Eight days later He appeared again - this time with Thomas present.
And after eight days his disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, 'Peace to you!' Then he said to Thomas, 'Reach your finger here, and look at my hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving but believing.' And Thomas answered and said to him, 'My Lord and My God!' (John 20:26-28).
Dodi Note: You think Jesus knew Thomas heart? Look at John 20:25 at what Thomas said… So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

Jesus met that desire, didnt he? He knew exactly what Thomas needed to shore up his faith. Do you think….maybe…Jesus knows what each of us need as well?

Seven Disciples At The Sea Of Galilee
Another appearance was to seven disciples on the Sea of Galilee.
After these things Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and he manifested himself in this way. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples (John 21:1-2)
Dodi Note: This is such a GREAT story we are going to read the entire account.
ESV
1After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
9When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Notice: They thought Jesus had failed them. He died. He did not save himself and he did not rescue them from the Romans. They were sad. So what did they do? Returned to what they knew….. fishing.

Dont we do that? Feel tempted to go back to “old ways” when we are discouraged or scared or lose hope? I do sometimes.

Again at first they do not recognize him.
When Jesus said, “cast you net on the right side” they did so. Do you remember the other time when they had fished all night and caught nothing and Jesus told them to cast their net on the other side? Do you also see how Jesus used what they did know to augment the current “knowing”? It was, I think in Luke 5 the first time.

Then there are several other interesting points. He told them to cast nets and get fish. But he was ALREADY cooking breakfast for them.

Author:
A Mountain In Galilee
There is also the account of Jesus appearing before His eleven disciples in Galilee.
But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. And when they saw him, they worshiped him; but some were doubtful (Matthew 28:16,17).
The reason some doubted was the rumor that the Romans were spreading around. It is mentioned in v.11+ 11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

Dodi Note: Didnt work did it? Not then and not 2,000+ years later either.


On another occasion, Jesus appeared to over five hundred people at one time.
After that he was seen by over five hundred people at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:6).
Dodi Note: We do not have details about this appearance but Paul did state it as fact and it seems it was not disputed.


Scripture also says that Jesus appeared to His half-brother James.
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:7).
The details of this appearance are not recorded.

Saul: And this one is fascinating to me. Up until this time, Saul whose name was changed to the Paul we are familiiar with, had been actively chasing down and killing believers in Jesus. So God dealt with Saul directly. And as a result Saul became Paul and a completley different person.

Author: After Jesus' ascension He appeared again - this time to Saul of Tarsus.
And as he [Saul] traveled he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are your persecuting me?' And he said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting' (Acts 9:3-5).
Dodi Note: Let’s just read the context around that in Acts 9. Watch/Listen for amazing things that God did by intentional design.

Acts 9
But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened.

Isn’t that amazing how God engineered all that to work together not just for Paul but for us as well.


These are the appearances of Jesus that the New Testament records. They caused His disciples to believe that He had risen from the dead. Luke says that Jesus showed Himself alive with many convincing proofs.
To these he also presented himself alive after his suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3)
Summary
The Bible says that Jesus made a number of appearances after His death. They were to a number of different people over a forty-day period. The Bible specifically says that on Easter Sunday Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, the women that came to Jesus tomb (Mary the Mother of James, Salome, and Joanna), Peter, and two disciples on the Emmaus road. He also appeared to the remainder of the Twelve Disciples with Thomas absent. Later he appeared to them with Thomas present. There was also an appearance to seven disciples on the Sea of Galilee. On another occasion he appeared to over five hundred people at the same time. There is also an appearance to James. Finally Jesus appeared to Saul of Tarsus - the man who became the Apostle Paul. These appearances convinced His disciples, beyond any doubt, that He had risen from the dead.

Did you enjoy this? I did. I was curious so I looked it up to share with you all.

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